March 1, 2021 ☼ 2020-winter-storm ☼ jackson ☼ mississippi
Source: The Washington Post - Link
Two painters’ buckets filled with dirty water sit near the front door of April Jackson’s apartment. A dead mosquito floats in one. She plans to use the water to fill her toilets later.
Like many residents here, she has been without water nearly two weeks after an ice storm rendered the capital city’s main water plant nearly inoperable. The problem has been decades in the making. Without federal help to update the city’s almost 100-year-old infrastructure, officials say it will happen again.
Jackson has been delaying maintenance on its water system for decades. Surrounded by wealthier suburbs. It is incumbent upon states to devote resources to revitalize infrastructure in areas affected by the flight of tax base. That would stem the flight and also make catastrophic failures like this much less likely.